December 31st. Depending on which part of Adonai’s world you inhabit, it is known as “Old Year’s Day” or “New Year’s Eve.” Years ago, I realized that the name I give to the day can provide a different focus. “Old Year’s Day” can engender a focus on the current year with all that made it what it was; it can also prompt expressions of gratitude as I recognize that God brought me through challenges and blessed me richly. “New Year’s Eve” can generate a focus on the coming year and the dreams, hopes, plans, and even uncertainties I may have about the future. I see value in calling the day both “Old Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve.” Doing so reminds me that God inhabits my past, present, and future. That, Emmanuel – God with us, is not solely a Christmas promise. I have His promise to never leave me, never forsake me; He is with me whether or not I feel that He is present. The same is true for you. He is with you.

Dread of the new year can creep in when I see the new year only as 365 more days of the mundane. As holding at least 365 opportunities to make mistakes, etc. Focus matters. Without question, the new year will have challenges. That is life. As in previous years, there will be days, weeks, even months when it seems that my sanity and survival require me to pray every hour. There will be seasons when I stumble more that I stride. But there will also be moments of joy, and wonder, and the satisfaction of tasks well done. Moments when I have the privilege of being part of someone’s healing and having someone be part of mine. Moments of extending and receiving grace. Moments when hope seems futile and moments of restored hope. Moments of chaos and pain and moments of clarity and peace. Moments of bone weariness and moments of renewed strength. Moments of relational rupture and moments of restoration and deep connection. Moments of resting in sunshine, the warmth of the sun feeling like a soft kiss. Moments when all the world seems gray and wet. Moments when I receive forgiveness and am enabled to forgive. Moments of learning more about my heavenly Father and, as a result, learning more about who I am in Him.

Habakkuk had heard news that caused him to tremble within and without. That caused his lips to quiver and “decay and rottenness” to enter his bones. And yet, still, notwithstanding, he made this declaration:

Though the fig tree does not blossomAnd there is no fruit on the vines,Though the yield of the olive failsAnd the fields produce no food,Though the flock is cut off from the foldAnd there are no cattle in the stalls,

Yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord;I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation.

4Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit [your graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance,and patience] be known to all people. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. 7 And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours].

8Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].

ABBA, hear my prayer: Still, up to and including the present or the time mentioned, even now (or then) as formerly, yet, nevertheless, inspite of that, despite that, nothwithstanding … Help me to remain faithful to You. Help me live a life of worship. Help me rejoice in You. Help me obey You. Still.

Like this:

I noticed the airplane as it headed in the direction of the airport near my workplace. It’s size, weight, and capacity were unchanged from the moment it left the airstrip of an airport that was its departure point, to the moment I noticed it flying above. But against the expanse of the sky, the airplane resembled a child’s toy. Context alters perspective.

This Advent season as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of our Savior, each day moving us closer to December 25th, I wonder, what is the context for my life? What is the context of your life? Against what backdrop am I, are you viewing that circumstance which is a source of anguish? The unanswered prayer? Our deepest longing? Your greatest joy? The event that fills you with anticipation? Or dread? Context gives perspective.

According to Wikipedia, the deepest natural point in the world is the Mariana Trench, also known as the Marianas Trench. It is located in the western Pacific Ocean and its maximum known depth is 36,070 ft (10,994 meters).

To give us an idea of how deep 36,070 feet is, Wikipedia informs us that if Mount Everest, which is 29,029 feet (8,848 meters) is dropped into the Mariana Trench, its peak would be 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) below the surface of the Marianas Trench. Now that is deep; however, as deep as the Trench is, it has a limit because the Pacific Ocean has a floor. Our Father’s love, on the contrary, is limitless. There is no end to His love as reiterated throughout the Bible and stated powerfully in the song, “O the Deep Deep Love of Jesus.”*

Here is the first verse: O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast unmeasured, boundless, freeRolling as a mighty ocean, in its fullness over meUnderneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy loveLeading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above

My favorite rendition of this beautiful song is by the group, Selah, and it is shared below. Mark Ladd and Samuel T. Francis are the songwriters and the full lyrics of “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” can be found here.

Like this:

Value – The worth of something compared to the price paid or asked for it.

What is your value? What are you worth? Not much, according tothe world’s standards, if you lack wealth, accomplishments, popularity, physical beauty, possessions, intellect, power, status, and the like.

What is your value? What is your worth?

You were worth Jesus to God. “For God so loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His[One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.” This, dear one, is your true value. This is your true worth.

I am joining the Five Minute Friday writing community, hosted by Kate Motaung, for our weekly writing adventure. Please click here to learn about Five Minute Friday. This week’s prompt is, “Value.” The definition of “Value” used in the post is from oxforddictionaries.com.

This Thanksgiving Day, I want to remind us of this truth – “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes] (James 1:17, AMP).